The Chief
By Duncan Freeman | July 18, 2025
Leaders of unions representing EMTs, paramedics, EMS officers and fire protection inspectors fed up with the pace of contract negotiations with the city are now hoping for Eric Adams’ exit from City Hall next year.
Two unions representing the workers have been bargaining with the city for over a year and the heads of both locals say that the city’s negotiators have barely budged. The union leaders say they’ve lost faith in the Adams administration and are anxiously looking toward November and the election of a more EMS-friendly mayor who would help them secure big raises for their members.
“I have that feeling that there’s no interest by this administration to bargain or to provide any contract for EMS so hopefully we’ll get a new mayor who actually wants to do business and negotiate,” said Vincent Variale, the president of Local 3261, which represents EMS officers.
Local 3261 and Local 2507, which represents fire protection inspectors, EMTs and paramedics, endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo in June’s Democratic primary for mayor. Neither has so far backed a candidate in the November general election.
“We’ve waited long enough for Adams to deliver on his campaign promise that EMS would be fixed, and he hasn’t,” said Oren Barzilay, Local 2507’s president. “So, I guess we have to wait for the next mayor to address this issue because nobody in City Hall has shown any signs or interest of fixing this issue.”
Barzilay said the city hasn’t moved from its original demand of giving EMS workers wage increases that conform to the civilian pattern instead of the higher uniform rate. EMTs, paramedics and EMS officers are all uniformed employees, but they’ve historically received the civilian wage pattern, a trend that Barzilay is seeking to buck in favor of wage increases that would bring his membership closer to parity with other city first responders.
“Why are you even calling it a bargaining session when you’re refusing every option to negotiate,” Barzilay questioned in an interview on Monday, lamenting the city’s “frustrating” refusal to move on wage demands. “You’re simply throwing down our throat what you’re giving everybody else and that only puts us further and further away from livable wages.”
According to Local 2507, EMT salaries start at $39,386 and increase to $59,534 after five years. In turn, firefighters start at $54,122 and increase to $105,146 after 5.5 years, while police officers initially make $60,884, and get raises to $126,410 after 5.5 years.
Following an update to the city’s minimum pay laws for delivery workers last week, EMTs now make less than app-based grocery delivery workers, whose $21.44 minimum wage is more than $2.50 higher than what starting EMTs make per hour. Barzilay slammed the city when it initially set a minimum wage for food delivery workers higher than the base salary for EMTs. Following last week’s increase, he said it’s “unbelievable anybody who is of legal age that can work delivery now can make more than someone who’s medically trained to save a life.”
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